Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-06-04
Sermon Preached by Rev. DR.. Talmage
ut the Decoration Of the
Graves
OF the Brave Seamen Who Fell in the
War for the Union.
The Deeds of the Naval Heroes in the
Great Conflict Touchingly
Reviewed.
The Example Of the Christian Admirals,
Foote and Farragut, Commended
to Survivors.
AMERICAN ,sEAMEN REMEMBERED Al

BROOKLYN, May 22.-As this is the
time for the decoration of the graves of
those who fell in the war, the naval
posts invited the Rev. 7. Dewitt Tai
mage, ID. d., to preach a sermon at the
Brooklyn Tabernacle appropriate to
the occasion, as often in the annual
commemoration, but little had been
said of those who served in the navy.
An American flag adorned the pulpit,
and the congregation sang with great
spirit:
My country, tits OF thee,
Sweet land Of liberty.
DIR. Talmage's ext was from James
'Behold also the Ships"
He said: If this exclamation was
appropriate about 1860 years ago,
when it was written concerning the
crude fishing smacks that sailed Lake
Galilee, how much more appropriate
in an age which has launched from the
dry docks for purposes of peace-the
Arizona of the Guion Line, the City Of
Richmond of the Inman Line, the
Egypt of the National Line, the Ger
manic, of the White Star Line, the
Circassia, of the Anchor Line, the
Etruria, of the Cunard Line, and the
Great Eastern, with hull six hundred
and eighty feet long-not n failure, for
it helped lay the Atlantic cable. and
that was enough glory for II ships
existence-and in an age which for
of war has launched the
screw-sloops like the Idaho, the
Shenandoah, the Ossipe, and our iron.
clads like the Kalamazoo. the Roanoke
and the Dunderberg, and those which
have already been buried in the deel
like the Monitor, the Housatonic, the
Weehawken and the Tecumseh, the
tempests ever since sounding a volleN
over their vatery se~pulchres, and thu
SCARED VETERANS
of war shipping like the Constitution
or the Alliance, or the Constellation
that have swung into the naval yards
to spend their last days, their decks
now ali silent of the feet that troc
them, their rigging all silent of the
hands that chung to them, their port
holes silent of the braZen throats tina
once Numbered out Of them. If in tn,
first century, VIXEN war vessels were
dependent on the oars that padded n
the side of them for propulsion, M,
text was suggestive, with how much
more emphasis, and meaning. anC
overwhelming "reminiscences we cal
cry out, as we see the Kearsage La,
across the bows Of the Alabama anC
sink it, teaching foreign nations the.
had better keep their hand off on
American fight, or as we see the ran
Albemarle. of the confederates, run
ming out and in the Roanoke, and VI
and down the coast, throwing every
thing into confusion rs no other Graf
aver did, pursued by the Miami, tn
Ceres, the S~outhfield, the Sassacus
the M~attabesett, the Whitehead, thu
Commodore Hull, the Louisiana. thu
Minnesota and other armed vessels al
trying in vain to catch her until Capt
Gushing, twenty-one years of age, anc
his men blew her up, himself and only
one other escaping, and as / see the
flagship Hartford, and the Richmond.
and the Monongahela, With other gun
boats, sweep past the batteries of Port
Hudson, and the Mississippi flows for
ever free to all northern and southern
craft, / cry out with a patriotic emo.
ton that | cannot suppress, if / would,
and would not if / could:
.sEEHoLD ALSO IL SHIPS"
AT the annual decoration of graves
north and south, among federals ant
ccnfederates, full justice has been done
TO the memory of those who fought OF
the land in our contest, but rot enough
has been said of those who on ships
dock dared and suffered all things
Lord God of the rivers and the sea
help me in this sermon! So, ye admi
rails. commodores, commanders, capt
aims, pilots. gunners, boatswains, sail
makers, surgeons, stockers, messmate:
and seamen of all names, to use your
own p~arlance. we might as well ge
under way and stand out towards sea
Let all land lubbers 90 ashore. Full
speed now! Four bells!